An Evil Consortium
by spikala
Summary: Evil is afoot! With the Clone Wars heating up, nefarious plans and evil masterminds seem to be oozing out of the woodwork at every turn. Hopefully the Republic can keep up with it all. Co-written with reulte, impoeia, SerendipityAEY, spikala, and Crossroad Avarice. Featuring Anakin, Obi-Wan, Maul, Dr Vindi, and more!
1. Insanus Imperialis --- impoeia

Welcome to another co-authored story. This time the challenge was to use at least two 'evil overlord' tropes in the story. Each ficlet in this collection has been written by a different author. We've got a mix of canon and OC's, so there should be something for everyone.

If you liked the story, please leave a review to let the author know you enjoyed their work. We all love gettting feedback :D

Hope you enjoy!

~spikala

* * *

**Insanus Imperialis **

**by impoeia**

On Pembric II, it always rained.

At any other time, Obi-Wan Kenobi might have enjoyed the light drizzle. But after two days of slogging through boggy wetlands, with water surrounding him from below _and _above, drenching his clothes and food, Obi-Wan had had enough. He wanted off of this planet and sleep in his dry cabin aboard the _Negotiator. _It was something he shared with his former Padawan.

"I don't see why we can't just go," Anakin complained.

Obi-Wan suppressed a sigh. He very much understood the younger man's feelings, but they were Jedi and were supposed to be able to push past such earthly concerns as clammy robes and impatience. Or at least have the decency to suffer in silence for the duration of the mission.

"Patience, Anakin," Obi-Wan chided, just as he had done throughout Anakin's apprenticeship. "We need to wait for the clones to get into position. Cody and Rex are both very capable, but neither can spontaneously transfer two battalions from one end of the system to the next."

"But while we wait, the Separatists might already be planning their escape. Dooku's latest pet scientist hasn't exactly been making a habit of setting up permanent residency. Besides," he muttered unhappily under his breath, "I hate just sitting on my hands for two days straight."

"As do I," Obi-Wan assured him, "but Anakin, you have to learn…"

"Wait," Anakin hissed at him. "I think there's something happening up at the castle."

Obi-Wan whipped out his pair of macrobinoculars and tried to peer through the steady sheets of rain and the surrounding foliage. He and Anakin had taken up an observation post in a small, natural ditch, where the local fern-like fauna could provide them with cover. It also provided them with an excellent view of all incoming and outgoing traffic from the castle.

Over the past two days, there had been a steady flow of groundcars, each scanned by a squad of B1 battle droids. During their time in the ditch, he and Anakin had also catalogued the routines of the droid sentries, attempting to assess their numbers. Not an easy task, given the faceless, uniform nature of these mechanical soldiers.

But Anakin was right, there was clearly something happening at the castle. Along the ramparts, a group of B1s was busily carrying several large crates out into the rain. More battle droids were moving clumsily along a makeshift scaffolding. The flare of their welding torches flashed through the night like lightning.

One of the droids fumbled a crate and it crashed to the ground like thunder. The sound echoed across the marsh in large, booming waves, making him and Anakin flinch in their little hideout.

"Talk about appropriate background music," Anakin muttered, his own macrobinoculars held closely to his face.

"What are they doing?" Obi-Wan wondered, mystified.

"I don't know," Anakin said. "But I recognize some of the gear. That's a M-43 Alpha model satellite dish they're mounting to the roof. And those power cables have to belong to a class six generator."

"So it seems we were right," Obi-Wan observed. "This is where all that stolen tech got to."

"Yeah," Anakin complained unhappily. "Too bad the Bothans couldn't do as good a job of protecting their gear as they did in tracking down the scientist that took it."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan chided in warning.

"Alright," Anakin conceded, then lowered the binoculars. He stared at Obi-Wan through the gathering darkness, absentmindedly brushing hanks of his wet hair out of his face. "You do know what this means, don't you? Whatever the Seps stole that technology for, they're getting ready to use it."

"We can't know that for sure, Anakin," Obi-Wan argued.

"Can't we?" Anakin countered. "Think about it, Obi-Wan. For two days these guys have done nothing but cart in supplies. And now, all of a sudden, they decide to do some exterior remodeling? No way that's just a coincidence. That scientist is getting ready to do something and I don't know about you, but I want to stop it before it gets going."

Obi-Wan sighed, his hand coming up to his beard in thought. He grimaced as his fingers shook loose the water caught in the fine hairs. Anakin's logic certainly correlated with what they knew about this Separatist scientist. By all accounts, this was an intelligent person, who, so far, had eluded Republic custody by moving from one temporary shelter to the next. That the droids would be set to construction now, argued for a definite change in the modus operandi.

"Let's say that I agree with you," Obi-Wan said slowly. "How exactly do you propose we proceed? That castle is heavily fortified and patrolled by at least a hundred battle droids. We're good, Anakin, but we're not that good and our reinforcements are still," he glanced at his wrist-chrono, "five hours from our position."

Anakin gazed out into the rainy distance, his face set in concentration. "Right, well…"

Obi-Wan watched the face of his former Padawan with a mixture of expectation and dread. Anakin was a brilliant tactician in part, because he could come up with some of the most hair brained and reckless ideas Obi-Wan had ever heard. But so far, they'd all more or less worked.

Anakin's blue eyes suddenly lit up and he turned towards Obi-Wan once more, a boyish grin lighting his wet and muddy face. "I've got an idea Obi-Wan and you are absolutely going to hate it."

* * *

"You were right, Anakin," Obi-Wan said a few minutes later, "I absolutely hate this plan."

One of the two battle droids walking behind them jabbed the muzzle of his blaster into Obi-Wan's back.

"No talking, Republic dog," it said.

Obi-Wan held in a groan – the droids' vernacular was extremely limited and they had exhausted their storage of insults quite a while ago – and whispered to Anakin under his breath, "Remind me again why it is that we surrendered to the Separatists?"

"C'mon, Obi-Wan," Anakin whispered back, "you should know this. After all, I got the idea from you."

"Me?" he asked, horrified.

"Yeah. Don't you remember Christophsis? You surrendered to General Loathsome to buy Ahsoka and me time to bring down the shields. This is the same thing. All we have to do is distract the scientist long enough for Rex and Cody to get here."

"And hopefully save us from the gundark's den," Obi-Wan muttered unhappily.

"Exactly."

This time, it was Anakin's turn to get jabbed with the blaster. "You heard the sergeant," the second droid said. "No talking, Jedi scum."

The droid sergeant turned its long head towards its companion. "Very nice usage of insulating language, private."

"Thanks you, sir," the other droid replied. "Do you believe the boss will be pleased by our apprehension of the Jedi?"

"Most definitely. I compute a 97.6% chance of a promotion in our immediate future."

"Roger that."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. Droids.

Their droid escort led them through a series of twisting corridors, all made up of heavy blocks of stone even their lightsabers would have a hard time cutting through. Their final destination was a large hall, which Obi-Wan thought might have been a banquet hall at one time, but had now been turned into some type of lab. The walls were mostly covered with state of the art terminals, consoles, screens and scanners, all manned by more B1s. This effusion of technology stood in stark contrast to the archaic architecture of the castle.

He and Anakin were rudely pushed into two chairs, positioned in the middle of the laboratory. A few meters away was a large, white and chrome desk, auspiciously empty of all paraphernalia. Behind the desk was an equally large, oval chair, the back turned towards them.

"Hold still, Republic vermin," the droid sergeant told them and the hands of the two Jedi were wrenched behind the backs of their chairs, secured with binders. The droids had already taken their lightsabers when he and Anakin had surrendered themselves earlier. They were now truly trapped in the heart of the enemy base.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Anakin," Obi-Wan said out of the corner of his mouth.

"You and me both," Anakin muttered back.

"General Obi-Wan Kenobi." The voice was coming from the oval chair. "General Skywalker. What a pleasure to have you here, in my… humble abode." The voice was cultured, with a crisp Coruscanti accent.

The chair turned around, revealing the person sitting in it. "I have been expecting you," the woman purred.

She was a stout woman, with brown hair swept back into a bun and large, green eyes. In her mid-forties, she was dressed in a dark blue shirt, with pants and jacket made up of some shining, silver material. Her smile, as she looked at the captive Jedi, was sharp and showed a row of flashing teeth. Curled up in her lap was a white-haired, immature attack stohl. The creature eyed the Jedi with black, button eyes every bit as predatory as those of its mistress.

"Imperialis," Anakin growled.

The woman's smile widened. "The very same." Then the smile vanished, replaced by a fake pout. "But look what you did now. I fear that, while I have been looking forward to our meeting, I find myself pressed for time. My employer…"

"You mean, Count Dooku," Anakin interrupted.

Imperialis's eyes flashed with momentary anger, then was replaced almost instantly again with the pouting, put upon expression. By all accounts, this was a brilliant woman. But she was also quite mad.

"My employer," she purred again, stroking the stohl contentedly, "insists that I set our little experiment into action right away." A dramatic sigh. "Ah, how the demands of the people cut into my social time. But when the one doing the demanding is also the one paying for my research," and she flashed the Jedi a wide smile, reminiscent of that of a nexu, "who am I to argue?"

The stohl grumbled and twitched on her lap and the mad scientist gave a cackle of amusement. It grated against Obi-Wan's senses. The woman was as insane as a spiced-up Weequay.

The laughter cut off almost as soon as it started and Imperialis's green eyes settled once more on the Jedi. "Sadly, this means that I will have to kill you now. Droids!" And she snapped her fingers at the two standing behind Obi-Wan and Anakin.

Obi-Wan heard the whirr of their blasters as the droids took aim at the back of their heads.

"Any ideas?" Obi-Wan asked Anakin.

"Me?" Anakin looked at him, wide-eyed. "I got us in. I did my part for the day. It's your turn to come up with a plan."

Obi-Wan suppressed the urge to sputter in indignation at his former Padawan. Given the fact that they were about to be executed, there were better ways in which he could spend his last few seconds.

Obi-Wan's mind raced as Imperialis began turning her chair once more away from them, no doubt wanting to oversee the droids working at the banks of monitors behind her.

"Wait!" Obi-Wan shouted. "You can't do this."

Imperialis turned towards him, her green eyes bored. "I think you'll see that I can, Master Jedi."

"But not like this," Obi-Wan insisted. "It… it's not proper."

Anakin was staring at him in disbelief. "Not proper? That's the best you can come up with?"

But Obi-Wan had clearly caught Imperialis's attention. The woman was staring at him. "What do you mean? I give the order and you die. What can be more proper?"

"But there's no finesse to it, no… no mastery. Death by blaster," and Obi-Wan forced a patronizing smile to his lips. "Come now, my dear, how utterly mundane. You are the greatest scientist of your time and you want me to believe that you can't come up with a better way to kill two of the Republic's Jedi? A villain of your intellect and caliber, I would have at least expected a laser to cut us slowly into half, or a pit filled with poisonous reptiles."

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin hissed at him, alarmed. "Don't give her ideas."

But Obi-Wan could see that he had caught Imperialis's attention. She was looking thoughtfully off into the distance, still stroking the little stohl.

"And killing us without revealing your plans?" Obi-Wan went on, trying to stall for as long as possible. "Why, that is simply going against every tradition. How are we supposed to know by how much you've outsmarted us, if you don't tell us?"

Imperialis's face lit up, obviously liking this idea. "Yes," she murmured. "Yes, yes, of course."

"I could almost believe," Obi-Wan added, trying to stoke the fire, "that by insisting on hurrying, Count Dooku is trying to rob you of your moment of triumph."

Imperialis's features darkened in rage, her face flushing with the intensity of her emotions. "He would too, that egotistical cretin," she spat. "But I won't have it. I am Imperialis, the greatest scientist in the galaxy and I will have my due."

With a careless hand she threw the immature stohl over one shoulder. The animal shrieked as it went sailing into the air, but Imperialis didn't seem to hear. She jumped out of her chair, pointing at the droids. "You two, lower your blasters this instance. These Jedi will die a most horrible and long-winded death."

"Yessir," the droids said in unison and lowered their blasters.

Imperialis walked out from behind her desk, the nexu smile back in place. "You are no doubt wondering why it is that I have stolen so much of the Bothan's precious communications equipment?"

"I will admit, it has kept me up at night," Obi-Wan said seriously, then kicked Anakin in the shins – or tried to, at least, seeing as they were still tied to the chairs - but it was enough to jolt the stunned Anakin into action.

"What? Oh… yeah… me too."

Imperialis preened, and her stout figure began pacing before them, hands clasped behind her back like an empress inspecting her riches.

"It is simple really and in that simplicity lies its deviousness. What, I ask you, is the one thing a war cannot be fought without?" she asked them and her eyes swept over the bound Jedi like an expectant teacher.

"Troops?" Obi-Wan hazarded the guess, not really knowing what she was getting at, but hoping to draw her out. He could feel the approach of the 212th and the 501st in the Force, but the feeling was still faint. They needed more time.

"No, foolish Jedi. Something far more vital."

More vital than troops? Another guess from Obi-Wan. "Weapons."

Imperialis smiled scornfully.

"Biscuits?" Anakin muttered sourly under his breath.

"Communication," Imperialis said triumphantly. "Have you learned nothing from the Battle of Kothlis? Your army cannot function without working communications. I," and she gestured grandly at the lab with its arrangement of screens and terminals, "have invented a means by which I can shut down the Republic's communications satellites _once and for all_." And the woman dissolved into maniacal laughter.

Obi-Wan was stunned. Republic Intelligence had assumed that the tech had been stolen to build some sort of new listening post, but this? It would be a catastrophic blow to the Republic. They'd be crippled.

"That's impossible," Anakin argued.

"Is it?" Imperialis asked and stroked her silver jacket. "As soon as I give the order, a powerful virus will be streamed from the satellite dish atop the castle to the comsats orbiting Pembric II. This virus contains gigabytes of worthless fan mail and twitters. Once it reaches the orbiting satellites, it will spread and grow, gathering superfluous communications until, in a matter of hours, it overwhelms the Republic's communications network and brings the entire system crashing down!"

Imperialis threw her head back and laughed like a madwoman.

"You'll never get away with this!" Anakin yelled, incensed.

"Oh, but I will, young Jedi. For I am Imperialis and I. Am. _Invincible!_" She turned towards a number of droids, operating a station of terminals. "286, throw…" a dramatic pause, "_the lever!_"

"Yes, Mistress," the droid said and placed its three-digit hand on a gigantic lever.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called. "Plan B!"

With a twist of the Force, both Jedi called their lightsabers to them from their droid guards. Obi-Wan activated the blade, cutting through his binders in a swift movement. Next to him, Anakin sprang to his feet, blue blade humming.

"It's over, Imperialis," Anakin said.

"Over?" the woman hissed. "Never. You are still surrounded, Jedi."

"Not for long," Obi-Wan told her, casting his eyes towards the ceiling. In the Force, he felt a triumphant jubilation. "Reinforcements have just arrived."

"Droids!" Imperialis called. As one, the battle droids opened fire.

The two Jedi ducked and twisted, parrying shots and deflecting them back at the droids. In the tumult, Anakin managed to raise his comlink to his lips. "Rex, do you read me?"

"Copy that, General Skywalker," came the welcome voice. "We are in position and weapons locked."

Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance. "Take! Take! Take!" Anakin said into the comlink and the firepower of the _Resolute _and _Negotiator _was unleashed upon the castle.

The walls shook, the stone crumbled and the ceiling began to give way. Imperialis screamed in rage. "No! This can't be happening!"

"Anakin! We have to get out of here," Obi-Wan called. The entire castle was coming down around their ears.

"No argument here," Anakin called back and the two Jedi began to fight their way towards the exit amidst blaster bolts and falling stone.

Imperialis, seeing that all was lost, attempted to escape with them, but a large chunk of ceiling dislodged itself, falling straight onto the mad scientist. She had time to utter one last scream of rage, before being crushed.

Obi-Wan and Anakin raced through the winding corridors, the walls collapsing even as they passed by.

Drawing on the Force, the two Jedi increased their speed, racing towards the growing point of light at the end of the corridor.

"Jump, Obi-Wan!" Anakin called and together, they Force-leaped into the rainy Pembric air, landing in a skid of mud just as the castle collapsed inwards with an explosive force, showering them with dust.

Obi-Wan and Anakin raised their heads tentatively to look over the damage. The castle was in ruins; buried beneath the heavy stone was the stolen tech and Dooku's mad scientist. Neither would ever be a threat to the Republic again.

Grinning triumphantly at his old master, Anakin said, "Mission accomplished."


	2. All Roads --- spikala

**All Roads**

**by spikala**

.

Maul checked once more that the security eyes in the Senator's apartment were disabled. Time and injuries may've diminished some parts of him, but his care never faded. Now was no time to be sloppy. His infrared scanner showed no heat signatures and the motion detector was silent; the place was deserted. Even the pesky protocol droid had gone. One forged entry datarod later, he was inside. It was laughably easy; this was a trial run no doubt, a simple mission to show that he was still competent.

He made his way over to the refresher and activated his handheld comlink.

"I'm inside."

His former master's voice oozed from the comlink. "Good. There will be a blister packet of pills. Replace them with the ones you were given."

Maul hunted through the drawers until he found a packet that matched the one in his belt pocket. Swiftly he switched them. "It is done."

"Activate the device and conceal it in the Senator's bedchamber."

Maul frowned, pulling the small grey sphere from his belt. "What is it?"

An explosion of agony in his brain rewarded his curiosity. The pain surged, ripping through his body like lightning, then cut off. Maul found himself doubled over on the plush carpet, gripping his both sides of his head. The sphere was lying on the ground beside him though he didn't remember letting go of it.

"Forgive me, my lord," he gasped out, playing up his terror when in reality his rage was close to simmering over. "I simply meant that if I knew its purpose, I could better position it."

There was a pause as the other man contemplated his request, and Maul used that time to curse Sidious to the nine hells of Corellia. Were it not for the damned chip that Sidious had put in his brainstem, Maul would've run as soon as he'd woken up on in a dilapidated room on Coruscant. His venomous thoughts were interrupted by the crackle of the comlink.

"It is a short-range jammer. If the Senator uses an implant as well as her contraceptive pills, this will render it useless."

Short-range jammers had a radius of about two meters, he would have to hide it close by. Darth Sidious seemed very determined that this particular Senator should fall pregnant. Maul wondered briefly why she was important, then shrugged. What did he care? He strode into the bedroom and cast about for a suitable hiding place for the jammer. He scooted under the bed, hollowing out a small cavity underneath the mattress with the rudimentary knife he'd been given for this task. It was too bad he didn't have a jammer for the damned chip—

Maul froze. Would Sidious have sent him out here with a device that might free him from the Sith Lord's grasp? Or was it just a cunning ploy to break him down and humiliate him further? If this worked, he would be free. If it was another trap, then having his brain explode inside his skull would be the best outcome he could hope for. The last few weeks had illustrated graphically how much pain and abuse a body could take. Only the thought of Savage and revenge had kept him going.

Before he could hesitate, Maul grabbed the sphere and twisted. A tiny red light appeared at the top; it was working. He looked down at the comlink—it was silent. He waited for the rush of pain, but nothing came. Was it working?

It was only after he'd checked his scanner and found it was as silent as the comlink that Maul began to believe his luck. The jammer was working. He was free. Free to get his revenge on his former master. He knew just what to do too. He would reveal Darth Sidious's real identity to the galaxy, then sit back and laugh as the Jedi moved in to do the dirty work for him.

* * *

Ventress watched as vehicles covered in sirens flashed past them in the opposite direction, heading for the prison. _Wrong way, boys_. None of the police speeders bothered to check the flyers they zoomed past, and in any case she was safe inside the covered back of the speeder. Her silent chauffeur didn't flinch so Ventress ignored the commotion outside and focused on prying off the Force-collar with the hydrospanner she'd used to get into the prison ventilation ducts. The driver ejected her outside a grimy looking apartment in Coruscant's lower levels.

The door of the building slid open as she approached, so Ventress took the hint and went in, keeping an eye out on her surroundings. It wouldn't be the first time that she'd been double-crossed, but she had no intention of making it easy for them; whoever 'they' were. Graffiti lined the walls of the narrow corridor, and up ahead she noticed insects skittering away into the black. The place was either uninhabited or the residents had no concept of hygiene. As she rounded the first corner warily, a door to her left slid open revealing the dusty sitting room of an apartment. Unlike the corridor lights which were dim and flickering, the lights inside the apartment were strong and warm.

As she entered, the door slid shut behind her. Not for the first time, Ventress wished for her lightsabers, but they'd been taken from her when she was arrested. A shadow detached itself from a doorway. As it entered the light, Ventress felt her eyes narrow.

"You."

The bounty hunter brat nodded at her, his eyes cold. "Take a seat."

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested." She turned to go, but the door stayed firmly shut.

He didn't seem at all deterred by her icy tones, crossing his arms over his chest. "I have a job for you," he said. "Do it and I'll see that you get your lightsabers back."

His cocksure tone made her want to take him down a peg. "Listen boy, you don't seem to have learned from our last encounter. Now you may've helped me escape, but I owe you _nothing_. Now open the door."

"Does the name 'Maul' mean anything to you?"

She paused, her anger at this pint-sized human fizzling away. She didn't want to reveal too much, but she could see it in his eyes; he knew he had her attention. "And what if it does?" she said as nonchalantly as she could.

"Black Suns, Hutt Grand Council, Death Watch, the Pykes, _and_ the Jedi have a bounty out on this guy. He's been quiet for months, but then someone notified them all that he was spotted on Coruscant."

Despite herself, Ventress's eyebrows arched in interest. "That is a lot of powerful people to have annoyed, and a lot of bounty hunters interested in him. So what do you want me for?"

Boba's brow furrowed. Ventress knew that look of anger and loathing. "He's a saber jockey. My dad taught me you should never try and take on one of them without a plan. You fought with lightsabers and used Jedi powers on Quarzite; if we work together we've a chance of taking him down."

"I'm _not_ Jedi," she spat. "And why shouldn't I just take him in myself and collect the bounty?" In the past, she'd force-choked him and stuffed him into a trunk for his troubles. That he was willing to come to her for help showed either an interesting lack of ego, or just plain pigheadedness.

He grinned at her with all the mirth of the striking predator. "Because I don't think Asajj Ventress can just stroll up to the Jedi Council or the Hutts and turn him over for the reward. But I can. If you help me with this, we split the profits fifty-fifty and you get your lightsabers back."

It was a good deal. The challenge to pit herself against her former master's predecessor was almost irresistible. Still, she had to check just one last thing. "Do they want him alive or dead?"

"Alive."

She grimaced. "That isn't going to happen."

He stood his ground. "I gave my word that we would take him alive. Besides, given how angry our clients are, I doubt he'll be alive for long."

Boba's grin deepened and she knew she had a similar smile on her face. The hunt was on.

* * *

Getting proof of Sidious's identity was proving more difficult than Maul had anticipated.

All the old hideouts on Coruscant that his old master had used were empty. There wasn't so much as a black thread to show that two Sith Lords had walked this area, intent on overthrowing the Republic. All he knew was that his former master was wealthy and well-connected, and that he was a human—or at least the lower part of his face looked human. Not much to go off.

Maul was also unarmed and it was starting to irritate him. No Sith should be without a lightsaber, it smacked of his time on that garbage hole of a planet. No, he needed to build himself a weapon and that meant finding a furnace so that he could forge the crystal. He'd assembled most of the pieces he needed, but the final part of the furnace was proving elusive. He was going nowhere fast.

In a fit of frustration, he slammed his fists down onto the countertop. Disturbed by the sudden movement, the jammer popped free from his belt. It hit the ground and rolled away even as he grabbed desperately for it. He dived on it, bringing it to a halt as his heart thudded in his chest. Two meters. That was all the room he had to play with. He had no doubt that Sidious was broadcasting the kill code even now, if anything should happen to the jammer…

No, that wasn't a productive use of his time. He was dwelling on everything that had gone wrong, rather than focusing on the solution. The corners of his mouth crept upwards. How deliciously ironic that his old master's training would be used to defeat him. Maul secured the troublesome sphere to his belt —firmly this time— and went over to pour himself a cup of caf from a thermos he'd liberated on an earlier 'shopping trip'. The aroma almost blocked out the damp, musty smell of the place. Almost.

He looked around his hovel of a home. It was unbelievable how far he'd fallen in such a short time. From the presidential palace of Mandalore, to Sidious's lair, to this. Falling ever downwards, and reduced to petty theft in order to survive. His rage swelled as he thought of all the people who had thwarted his plans and brought him to this. Even the look on Kenobi's face when he'd killed that Duchess couldn't appease his anger. He'd gotten Kenobi back though, and he would do the same to Sidious.

He had one last lead to his former master that he'd avoided using until now, unwilling to risk bringing in an outside party. He would do it if he must though. For Savage, for revenge, for his brother. Quaffing the last of his caf, he stuffed the scanner and comlink that Sidious gave him into a bag and headed out the door.

* * *

"So can you trace the signal or not?" Maul growled.

The weasly looking Patrolian wiped his nose on his sleeve and grunted. "Depends."

Maul was getting sick of monosyllabic replies. "On what?"

Orsum Churr must've picked up on the threat in his voice, because his next reply was slightly more elaborate. "Credits. And if your signal is coming from an area full of jammers, ain't nobody can trace that."

Maul withdrew a credit chit from his bag, holding it so that the pathetic creature in front of him could see its denomination, before he put it on the high counter that separated them. The slicer reached for it, but Maul flicked open the knife Sidious had given him for his last mission, holding Churr's eyes with his own. "You'll get it when you're done."

To his credit, the slicer didn't seem worried about the sudden appearance of a weapon or the thinly veiled threats. Instead, he tapped the blaster that was lying to one side. "T'aint no need to be doin' that. I'll trace it for ya." He connected a lead from his datapad to the comlink that Maul had provided and started tapping away.

"So I can see," Maul said.

Churr shrugged and connected another lead from the datapad to the monitor that was on the counter in front of Maul. Maul hastily put some distance between him and the electronics; he was quickly learning that living with a jammer could be right pain, it was just as well his cybernetics weren't affected. The screen flickered to life, displaying a copy of what was on Churr's datapad. Windows sprang to life then vanished, text scrolling across the screen as Churr got to work.

"Trace," the slicer gurgled.

A grid sprang up on the screen in front of Maul, the viewpoint falling continually inwards in a way that made his head spin. Then he realised what he was seeing; it was a map of Coruscant and Orsum Churr was homing in on the comlink signal. Down and down they went, until the slicer had brought them almost on top of the Senate District.

"You got friends in high places."

Maul ignored him. Somewhere in this labyrinth of permacrete and glass was Lord Sidious. Oh, it would be too sweet if his old master was a Senator. He could just imagine the outcry that the Jedi would raise, and meanwhile, he would quietly slip off planet and start rebuilding the Sith Order. There could only be two Sith Lords, and Maul was an apprentice no more.

"Senate."

Churr's voice snapped Maul out of his pleasant daydream. "What do you mean?"

The slicer rolled his fishy eyes. "Whats I'z said — signal, Senate."

He reached for the credit chit and Maul let him have it, turning things over in his mind as he left the cramped shop.

The crowd parted for him as he made his way through the streets away from the 'crowded' part of town. He only half-noticed the other passers-by as he went, lost in his thoughts. The Senate was notorious for having a jamming system. Only authorised signals went in and out of there. For Sidious's comlink to be able to work in the middle of all the security systems, indicated he was a major player. What high-ranking Senate officials did Maul know that were human, male, and fit Sidious's general physique?

Then he realised who the Sith Lord had to be. There was only one candidate. All he had to do now was contact the Jedi.

"We meet again."

Maul spun, searching for the owner of that snide voice. The street was deserted. Then he saw her in the shadows at the other end of the dingy alley. "Ventress," he growled.

"Glad to see you remembered me."

Oh he remembered. He remembered how this bald witch had interfered and cost him a swift victory over Kenobi. If she had not been there, Kenobi would be dead and Savage would still be alive. But things were falling neatly into place. He knew his old master's identity now—how the Jedi were going to flap over that one—and now Fate had led him into someone else who he a debt to settle with.

He waited for her to draw her lightsabers; it was going to be a tough fight, all he had was the paltry knife Sidious had given him. But she didn't. His eyes fell to her belt and instead of two shiny lightsaber hilts, she had a holster and a pistol. A slow grin spread across his face. Blaster bolts from a single shooter were easily avoided when he had the Force as his ally. Slowly, keeping eye contact with her, he drew his knife and charged.

She wasn't slow. She had that pistol out instantly, peppering him with a shower of stun bolts. Maul listened to the Force though, whipping and dodging around each and every bolt. So, she meant to take him alive. He would not show the same courtesy. She was only ten meters away when the Force screamed in his ear. Maul wrenched himself upwards, somersaulting in the air to avoid a maelstrom of fire from a new direction.

He landed, one foot skidding a bit on a greasy slick. Two spikes of _anticipation_ arced into the Force; he was dealing with two organics then. A tad more difficult than just one, but not by much. The second shooter was perched up on the awning of a closed down electronics shop. If he thought that would keep him safe, he was sorely mistaken and Maul intended to show him the error of his ways. One did not simply shoot down a lord of the Sith.

He would take out the weaker opponent first; less distraction for when he later killed Ventress. He charged across the open, easily avoiding the blaster fire, his eyes on his target. The diminutive hunter didn't seem fazed even though Maul could smell the fear on him, instead his target pressed a button on his wrist and all hell broke loose.

The air around him was suddenly thick with blue stun fire from the previously unnoticed remotes scattered over the ground. Maul dove deep into the Dark Side, trusting it to keep him safe as he ducked and wove. There was a tingling in the tips of his fingers as a stunner round brushed his left hand, electronics on his foot sparked as they were disrupted. He felt a numbness in his hip where another round grazed him as he twisted in the air. He looked down, but there was no comforting red light winking back at him.

* * *

"What did you do?" Boba screamed at her. "We needed him alive!"

Ventress wiped away a gobbet of flesh from her cheek. Their bounty was now missing a head; alive was no longer an option. Boba's earlier professionalism had once again evaporated – what could you expect from a brat. "His head exploded," she said. "How is that my fault when all you gave me was a stun pistol?"

She went over to Maul's lifeless corpse and started investigating his effects. He had a knife, a battered comlink, and a broken jammer clipped to his hip. No credits, but DNA analysis would verify Maul's identify to the authorities when they found it. She turned to Boba, who looked pale. "This is the point where you hand over my lightsabers, boy."

He hesitated and she had her answer. "I guess your word isn't worth the breath you spend on it," she remarked, getting a smidge of satisfaction out of the anger that flared in his eyes.

She turned to go. The brat would have problems of his own having guaranteed an alive bounty to the crime syndicates, and she didn't mean to be here when he got his come-uppance.

* * *

CODA:

Meeting concluded, Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi stood up to leave his office. Palpatine smiled genially as they exited, just as the Chancellor of the Republic should after being told of the death of a dangerous individual. A threat to the Republic has been eliminated? Oh, how wonderful! The door closed and he sniffed disdainfully.

It had worked out perfectly. Maul was tested and found wanting, yet despite his failure the mission had succeeded – Senator Amidala would eventually fall pregnant, pushing young Skywalker into a confrontation with the self-righteous Jedi Council. Maul had been eliminated and, by his death, had lulled the Jedi into a sense of security and complacency. No doubt his former apprentice had been plotting against him; that threat was now gone. And all thanks to the predictability of crime syndicates to hold grudges, and predilection of bounty hunters to chase the credits with no questions asked.

All roads led back to the grand design that he had laid out. Lord Sidious smiled. Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

_A/N: The two tropes I wanted to include here were Evil Vs Evil (Maul and Palpatine) and Unwitting Instigators of Doom (Ventress and Boba). Plus I wanted to mess with traditional good guy/bad guy boundaries :) Hope you enjoyed my take on what might've happened to Maul after Sidious whipped him on Mandalore._


	3. Evilution --- SerendipityAEY

**Evilution****: The Handsome Jedi and the Evil 'Mastermind'**

**by SerendipityAEY **

.

The cavern was dark, and dank and seemed to stretch for miles into the craggy mountainside. With each cautious step, Obi-Wan and Anakin were drawn further towards evilness they could only guess at as they followed the dirty path, Artoo wheeling along right behind them.

Anakin brushed at his face as he passed through sticky-soft strands of what he could only assume was a giant spiderweb, and he swept his gloved hand over his hair before he could stop himself, just in case. Giant spiderwebs, usually meant giant...

"Problem, Anakin?" Obi-Wan's voice sounded from the left of him, and a pace or two back.

"I don't see why I can't use my lightsaber, I can't see a kriffing thing in here."

"I think it wise not to draw any unwanted attention," Obi-Wan answered, his voice dry. "Especially since we don't know exactly what or who we're headed for."

"Easy for you to say, I'm the one leading."

"At your own insistence, if you'll recall."

"Yeah, well... It's dark."

"Do you have the Force or don't you?" Obi-Wan asked wryly.

Anakin rolled his eyes. And then lamented the fact that Obi-Wan would not be able to see the gesture.

A wild bantha chase - that's what this was turning out to be. Crucial intelligence leads had led them to this odd, slightly creepy planet in search of a massive bio-weapon that was reportedly capable of taking out hundreds of clone troopers at a time. After scouring the main city and half the planet, they'd finally found evidence of suspicious activity here, high in the mountains and they'd had to trudge through swampy, mucky forests and dangerous, rocky mountainsides just to get here.

It was actually called Mount Doom.

A mountain of doom. Just great. And here they were traversing deep into the mountain and heading for Force knows what in complete darkness. Anakin had a bad feeling about this but the threats of this weapon were real enough. At least the Council had not sent Obi-Wan alone.

In the next minute, Anakin finally began to see a pinprick of light ahead of them - a sliver of luminescence in the dark and Artoo gave a whistle of recognition from behind him.

"I see, Artoo. I think we've finally found something."

Together, the three of them continued toward the light, growing as they drew nearer. Anakin touched his lightsaber where it remained clipped to his belt in reassurance.

The light, yellow-white and spilling from a crevice in the rocky wall, stretched from the ground to far above their heads. It was narrow, but they found it was formed by overlapping sections of rock that they could easily slip between and as soon as they made their way through the makeshift entry way, they found themselves in a huge cavern.

The walls and ceiling were all rock, but carved in such a way that suggested a certain level of skill and artistry. There were different machines and computers, terminals and devices set up around the huge space, with blinking lights and whirring motors all going. Ahead of them there was a marble floor set into the ground that led to a large dais and off to the side were a massive set of durasteel doors.

Anakin had no idea what to make of this, but that bad feeling still niggled in the back if his mind. Turning his head, he glanced to Artoo out of the corner of his eye. "See if you can find anything..."

Artoo chirped and quietly headed for the nearest terminal to investigate as only he could.

Together Obi-Wan and Anakin stepped forward, both reaching out through the Force to try and get a feel for the place and what they might be about to face... Anakin could sense a presence somewhere nearby but there was still no sign of anyone in the darkened chamber.

As they came to a halt before the raised dais, Anakin turned toward Obi-Wan immediately noting the glint in his eyes, and the smirk in his expression that clearly said 'Spring the trap.'

Anakin shrugged and drew his saber from his belt as Obi-Wan did the same, the two blades of blue ignited as one, casting a dim azure glow to cut through the shadows.

"We are Jedi Knights," Anakin said, his voice firm and authoritative. "And we are here to demand your surrender. Show yourself now."

They waited.

Nothing.

They waited some more.

Anakin reached further into the Force...it was dark here, dim and muted, a swirl of black and dark purple, cloudy like a rising storm, but he knew they were not alone and he felt the first stirrings of anger and frustration welling up with this gratuitous waste of time - he swung his lightsaber in a wide, agitated arc at his side and spoke again, his voice deeper, louder.

"I said show yourself!" he growled.

At that moment a loud clunk resounded through the open space, echoing off the cavernous walls and a panel slid away in the platform to allow a massive throne to rise up from below.

A shrill female voice cut through the atmosphere, cackling and snarky. "I heard what you said, boy."

In the throne sat a woman, frizzy brown hair sticking up in all directions like a crown of spikes.

She wore a heavy looking white gown and her skin was pale, almost translucent...

The expression on her face was a twisted one of scorn, and pride in her own evilness, Anakin presumed.

"Surrender now," Anakin threatened, his voice low and demanding. "We know what you're planning and we will stop you."

She cackled again, tossing her head back as she did as if she'd never heard something so amusing. In one hand she held a long silver staff, likely with some nefarious purpose Anakin could only guess at and her other hand clutched the side of her throne, long black fingernails at the end of spindly wrinkled fingers curling over the ornate arm rest.

When she lowered her head again, she leveled an evil stare upon them, her eyes full of fire. "You will surrender to me."

Anakin raised his saber at her threat and sensed, as well as saw out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan tense as he did the same.

"Whatever would compel you to make such a bold statement?" Obi-Wan drawled, his eyes glinting with equal determination. "I fear you underestimate our skill and persistence, my dear."

She seemed unaffected by Obi-Wan's counter, however, and her evil smirk only grew. "Because if you don't... She will die."

Icy cold fear trickled down Anakin's spine and he felt every muscle in his well toned body coil with tension as his grip on the hilt of his lightsaber tightened. "Who?" he snapped.

She cackled again and fear came to life inside of him, catching fire and burning into a hot, powerful anger.

"Her," the evil woman said and she tapped her staff on the ground once, activating some unseen switch.

The massive steel doors to the side that Anakin had noticed early made a thunderous clanging sound and began, very slowly, to slide open. As they did, a big round vat was revealed with some thick, viscous red fluid bubbling within, and above the boiling, deadly looking fluid a woman was tied up and perched on a small platform that was suspended from the ceiling and clearly set to collapse with another tap of her evil staff.

Anakin could not help flare of relief within his heart at the sight of the unrecognizable fair-haired woman that was held captive. If it had been...

"Obi!" The woman called out, her voice trembling, blue eyes wide as she spotted them from her precarious perch.

_Not another one..._

Anakin turned to his former Master, eyebrow cocked but was met with an expression of only confusion.

"I don't know her," Obi-Wan said.

Anakin turned back to the captive - her arms were tied behind her back, rope coiled around her ankles and she was trying to stay as still as possible so as to not lose her balance, though he could see she was trembling.

"Obi please!"

_'Obi?'_

"Well, she certainly seems to know you."

"Obi," she called out again, desperately now. "All that time..."

"I don't remember her," the bearded Jedi said to Anakin, his voice quiet as he shrugged.

"She's blonde," Anakin pointed out. _She certainly looked like his type..._

Obi-Wan sighed. "I don't see -"

"Surrender!" The high cackling voice of the evil woman in front of them called their attention back to her, but neither had yet to disengage their weapons. "Or she dies!"

"Please!" The woman cried out, and Obi-Wan immediately flicked his lightsaber off, and Anakin did the same.

"Toss them away!" she demanded.

Anakin looked to Obi-Wan and he gave an almost imperceptible shrug. Did she not understand how the Force worked?

Anakin sighed as Obi-Wan turned back to Evella.

_(At least he presumed that was her moniker. That's what the tag pinned to her robes said: Evella, Evil Mastermind.)_

"Have it your way," Obi-Wan said and with a flick of his wrist he tossed his lightsaber to land with a clunk on the other side of the room.

Anakin did the same although he didn't like it one bit. "Now let her go," he growled.

"In time, perhaps. First... Guards!"

Two huge security droids appeared from the shadows at the back of the room and had Anakin and Obi-Wan cuffed in Force resistant durasteel binders in a matter of moments. Anakin sighed again inwardly. This was such a kriffing waste of time.

"What about your girlfriend?" he muttered to Obi-Wan. "What now?"

"She is not my - "

"Obi!"

"Oh, for the love of..." 'Obi'grumbled.

Anakin couldn't help a swell of amusement at Obi-Wan's irritation and he did not miss the fact that he had said 'she' is not my girlfriend not 'I don't have a girlfriend.' Still, it would do no good to have any innocent being harmed and she seemed innocent enough, if not completely delusional, so Anakin was just about to level one more threat at their captor when multiple things happened at once.

The first thing he noticed was the whoosh of electricity being powered down, as if a giant machine was being turned off with the flip of a switch. And in the next moment, the entire scene shimmered in front of them - the vat of viscous liquid, the throne, even Evella. Even the mysterious blonde damsel in distress!

And then the entire chamber was empty, save for the dais and the massive doors that had opened...

And the consoles behind them.

Artoo!

Anakin turned his head to find the little astromech droid at a computer in a dark back corner. He disconnected as Anakin watched and gave a high whistle of success. It had all been an elaborate illusion.

Anakin blinked as he faced the empty scene again; he couldn't help himself. The Force binders he'd been cuffed in were nothing impressive... He probably wouldn't be able to lift any starships but he could still feel the currents of the Force, swirling, around and through him and he could feel Obi-Wan beside him, his mild surprise just the same as his.

_How had they not known..._ Anakin thought he could still sense another flickering presence in the room - just not the one he had assumed.

"What in the blazes is going on?!" Obi-Wan demanded, his voice raising a little with each syllable, breaking the moment of suspended disbelief.

"I see the ruse is up..."

The voice was high and nasally and utterly annoying and Anakin had no idea from where it was coming - it sounded as though it was right in front of them but he couldn't -

In the next moment, a - being - jumped on to the platform from behind. A tiny little green stalk-eyed being.

"Meebur..."

The little toad man laughed, a rattling noise that was entirely unpleasant.

"Hardly. He is my - very much less accomplished - cousin. The runt of the family."

_Seriously?_

The Zilkin glared at him. _Oh. He had said that out loud._

"Surrender now and we will show some leniency," Obi-Wan called out, his voice as authoritative as ever.

The little guy scoffed. "You are hardly in a position to make such demands," he said nodding toward Obi-Wan's arms still bound behind his back as he walked toward them to the front of the dais.

"What do you think you're going to do with us?" Anakin couldn't help asking. This just kept getting crazier.

"Ransom, of course. I only need a little more money to complete my weapon. A bio-weapon powerful enough to wipe out entire legions of troopers with one blow! Muahahahaha!"

_Blow?_

Anakin couldn't help but glance at Obi-Wan, who had one eyebrow arched. He thought his expression probably mirrored his own.

"The Republic will not negotiate for our lives," Obi-Wan answered.

"We shall see about that!"

_Oh what the hell._ "How many credits do you need?" Anakin asked.

"A billion! Muahahaha!"

Anakin rolled his eyes, and then made a show of looking around. The droids were standing completely motionless behind them, seeming to have powered down with Artoo's system shut down. "And you expect to accomplish this all on your own?"

"I've gotten this far, haven't I?" He said, walking closer to them. "My formula is nearly complete and I will be the most powerful being in the galaxy! I am invincible."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Obi-Wan drawled. Anakin had to agree, but the evil green toad seemed undeterred.

Hopping off the stage, he came to stand right in front of them, looking up with such bravura it was as if he was actually looking them in the eye. As if he was able.

"What would you do?" he scoffed in that same nasally, totally not intimidating voice. "Your weapons are gone, you're bound, without the Force, no help and at my mercy."

Anakin tried to suppress that dark quiet voice inside of him that told him exactly what he could do...

"And when I get those credits, I will kill you! And I will decimate the clone army!"

_Oh frak it._

Anakin glanced to Obi-Wan and to his great surprise, and joy, saw immediately from the glint in his eyes that he was having the exact same thought.

So with clear purpose, Anakin lifted one heavy, booted foot...

* * *

_AN: Thank you many times over to spikala for issuing this challenge and posting, it's very much appreciated! This was indeed a challenge...but that's the idea. It's given my muse a much needed kick. This turned out quite silly, but I hope it's fun to read. Let me know :)_


	4. Evil Genius Blues --- reulte

**Evil Genius Blues**

**by reulte**

.

Dr. Nuvo Vindi frowned as he looked over the swamp of Naboo, its moist soil and the canopy of trees then he lightly kicked a piece of metal at his feet, some detritus from his former secret lab which the Naboo authorities had dismantled and destroyed.

"Let's go, Hinch," he said quietly. "There's nothing for us here."

Silently they had returned to the small ship and, with Hinch piloting, lifted and quickly moved into hyperspace. Nuvo sighed; a deep and heartfelt sigh as the stars wavered past in hyperspace. His chin rested in his palm as one long finger tapped at his cheek.

Hinch had released him from the Republic prison. He'd had help; some odd, cloaked fellow with a hissing, scabrous voice. Probably a secret admirer. But being defeated by the Jedi and their clonetroopers had broken something in him; Vindi didn't feel like creating anymore. He simply felt tired.

"You could work on the holochronic galactic domination plan," suggested Hinch with a quiet voice as he piloted the ship.

Vindi shook his head. "The scenario continues to be infeasible. Where would I find a Sith lord?"

Hinch nodded in agreement; it wasn't as if Sith lords were abundant or to be purchased at the local No-Questions Supply Company.

"Perhaps work on re-resurrecting the Blue Shadow Virus? That came so close to completion and only bad luck foiled it."

Vindi made an indeterminate noise in his throat and shook his head again. "Copy myself? That would truly be pathetic." He sighed again then continued speaking. "No Hinch. I think I need to retire – leave the field to younger scientists."

"You're still young, sir," protested Hinch loyally. "You've made the qualifying line-up of 'Ten Best Innovative Plans' for the last three years running and I've heard you're slated to be 'Scientist of the Year' for the Blue Shadow Virus this year. You're just coming into your glory years, sir."

Dr. Vindi attempted at wan smile and leaned back against the window.

"I'll find us a planet, sir," promised Hinch. "Someplace to start again."

# # #

Dr. Nuvo Vindi looked over the meadow, his elbows akimbo and a sour frown on his cerulean face as they stood on the ramp. Hinch, his few remaining teeth showing through his tentative smile, squirmed nervously. The doctor didn't like it; he could tell.

Dr. Vindi shook his head. "No, Hinch, it's too..." he shook his head more, so violently his shoulders shook also until the shudder developed into a shiver of revulsion. "Too peaceful. Too bucolic." He made a slight huffing noise and posed dramatically, his hand reaching for greatness in the gentle breeze. "A genius needs h'atmosphere, Hinch. H'inspiration. The waging battle of elements to..." He dropped his raised hand to draw little circles in the air with it as his voice dropped to its normal tone and volume with a small sigh. "You understand."

Hinch nodded. "Naboo was nicely bucolic," he offered, "and you had a secret lab there."

"There was a swamp. Not as inspirational as," Nuvo shrugged slightly, "as a magma-spewing volcano or the eternal winds of a desert or icy cragged mountain cliffs but a dreary swamp has precedents. And besides, I needed the liquid moisture. Difficult to find on Mustafar, Tatooine or Hoth."

Hinch looked down slightly, inspecting the tips of his metal-tipped boots, as if embarrassed to offer Dr. Vindi such a humble planet then he glanced up from the corner of his eyes with a sly smile. "The grass is poisonous," he said quietly and Dr. Vindi blinked his double eyelids and turned from the long plain of purple-blue grass (a lovely color, he had to admit) to face Hinch.

"Poisonous?" he asked, the tone of his voice lightening. "That's promising."

Hinch smiled slightly wider, more cruel than sly now, as he gestured toward the bright pink river a kilometer away. "The river is highly acidic."

Dr. Vindi actually smiled at Hinch, "What is the pH?"

"Less than one," Hinch recited proudly. "It could dissolve a bantha before it finished crossing."

"Oh, Hinch, that's very good!" Dr. Vindi was smiling widely when the butterfly landed on his shoulder; spreading its wings flat to catch the warmth of the sun. Vindi stared as its wings spread then folded into an edge. He glared at Hinch. "I. Should. Have. Known." he growled loudly. "You and your passion for Papilionidae! I should fire you, Hinch."

Unlike other laboratory aids, with interests in all the normal things like spiders and cockroaches, Hinch had majored in Lepidopterology – the study of moths and butterflies. He was good at it and had presented several papers among the Lepidoptera Society but the Lepidoptera Society was a non-innovative organization and hardly the place to find the top henchperson of one of the top innovative scientists in the galaxy. When attending a meeting Hinch had to wear dark glasses a trench coat with the collar pulled up to avoid recognition on his way.

Dr. Vindi turned in anger back toward the ship, the small insect moving its wings to keep balance on his narrow shoulder. Hinch had no doubt that he'd be left behind on the planet to make his way to some unknown planet's unemployment line even after rescuing Vindi from prison (with only slight assistance). Hinch had no doubt he could survive the poisonous grass and acidic river - a good henchman could survive almost anything - but losing his job would be a disaster.

Nuvo Vindi was one of the few innovative scientists known to be generous; augmenting salaries with a bit of extra coin during holidays or providing the deductible on the insurance policies. It was well-known in the scientific community that he'd had to bus tables during grad school and he had a pinch of sympathy (but no more than a pinch because he was an innovative scientist) for the underdog. There wasn't a henchman alive or dead who wouldn't give his few rotten teeth for a position with Dr. Vindi.

"It eats people." The words rushed out of Hinch's mouth in a tremulous squeak but Dr. Vindi paused and turned to Hinch, one set of eyebrows raised in disbelief as his eyes looked over his glasses. Hinch took a deep breath and gave a nod. "I'll admit it's slow; chewing thoroughly before swallowing." He took a step closer to the scientist and gently reached his hammy fist to pluck the unprotesting butterfly from Dr. Vindi's shoulder. "And look at this," Hinch gestured to the pattern of white, black and red on the purple-blue wings.

Dr. Vindi pursed his lips as his eyebrows rose higher in astonishment. His chuckles crescendoed into maniacal laughter at the image on each set of wings; an image of a tiny clonetrooper helmet dripping blood.

Hinch smiled; Dr. Vindi would work on some wonderful new plan and he could study the flesh-eating butterflies. It was a planetary match made in innovative scientist heaven.


	5. Untitled --- Crossroad Avarice

**Untitled**

**by Crossroad Avarice**

* * *

**Rila:** _Crap crap crap. This is absolute crap and I'm really sorry _ -slinks lower into pit- I really can't guarantee this makes a whole lot of sense...my brain, after everything that's happened recently (my computer wiping out about seventy five percent of my original file for this, my cat getting sick, taking the kittens to make sure they're healthy, work...) decided to take it for spin and turn it around completely. So this is...something.. Excuse the abrupt 'to be continued...'-esque ending, my inspiration puttered out and I didn't want to not contribute...so this'll have a finish in a side chapter during The Hollow Men (or a one-shot, I don't know) . :P Er...I understand if this sucks. -scrambles off-

Disclaim: Uh...yeah. Clowns are creepier than hell. So are those Houses of Mirrors...

Word Count:

Chapter Description:

* * *

It was, Alyss had decided from the moment she stepped foot through the gates, the oddly painted faces and sheer absurdity of the entire establishment that kept her from being able to relax. After all, who in their right mind suggested a _theme park _- or what passed for one, given the shabby, almost run-down appearance of this place - when trying to get one to relax? Alyss would have gone for a simple day of laziness back at the temple, or a handful of uninterrupted hours worth of sleep - but instead of either one of those perferred options, she and her squad were left to their own devices in this little twisted excuse for a resort.

Alyss wasn't sure what she found creepier - the ambiance of the place and its workers, or the way the Force whispered there was something _off_ about this place. Either way, this wasn't a place that Alyss wanted to spend much time in. Unfortunately for her, she was stuck here.

"Here, General." A grilled Nerf skewer was thrust into her field of vision, and she looked up to find Spark already devouring one of his own, watching her intently before his brows creased. Swallowing food in his mouth, Spark continued, "Is something wrong, General?"

It wouldn't have been fair to burden him with her worries when he looked as though he was enjoying himself, so Alyss pushed back her uneasiness and took the skewer from him. Offering him what she hoped was a convincing smile and shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. Just trying to decide what I want to do first."

Spark watched her for a moment longer before the creases in his forehead eased, and he returned her smile with one of his own. "Blast's already found his niche." His free hand came up, and Alyss turned, focusing upon Spark's fellow clone.

Arms already piled with stuffed animals ranging in color from pinks to swirls of blue and green, Blast was grinning from ear to ear as he struggled to carry his prizes. Alyss blinked once, twice, and then laughed. "Where is he going to put those?"

Spark chuckled. "I have no idea," he replied with a shake of his head before he finished the last of his skewer. Biting into her own, Alyss could admit that the food was one thing that didn't give her the creeps. Warm with just the right amount of spice, the cooked meat was gone in a minute or two. Spark arched an eyebrow at the empty skewer. "Hungry?"

Perhaps, had she been a little less comfortable, she would have blushed - but she simply settled for rolling her eyes and jabbing an elbow at his arm. "You can't blame me," she defended, "we burn a lot of energy in battle, and the pickings are slim in the mess hall."

"True," Spark agreed, and Alyss allowed herself to lapse into silence, her thoughts turning back to the uneasiness that wouldn't leave her be.

_Something isn't right here,_ she thought, brow furrowing. Despite the heat that warmed her skin, she shivered.

"General?" Spark's voice brought Alyss from her thoughts and she looked up, finding him watching her in the manner that he had earlier. "What is it?" She blinked and fumbled for some way to ease his concern, to keep from ruining a day he seemed to genuinely be enjoying.

"I told you," she answered after a moment with a smile that felt too fake, "nothing's wrong. I'm just not used to this sort of thing, you know?" Spark watched her closely for a moment longer before his features softened.

"I know," he answered, "but try to enjoy it while it lasts, alright?" He paused for a moment and then placed a hand on her shoulder as he continued, "And you know if...I mean, if something really _is_ bothering you, you can tell me, right?" He was, after all, her right hand in battle, the one she trusted to have her back as much as he trusted her to have his - and suddenly, Alyss felt incredibly guilty, and felt even guiltier as she smiled and nodded.

"I know," she replied, and returned the small smile that Spark sent her before she pulled away from him, warmth of his hand disappearing and leaving her shoulder strangely cold. Ignoring it, Alyss continued, "I'll be wandering around. If you need me-"

"What did I just say about enjoying the day?" There was a teasing smile playing around Spark's lips, and Alyss laughed before she turned and strode away.

_He's right,_ she thought, pulling hair away from her face, _I should enjoy this while it lasts._ It wasn't often that anyone got a break from the brutality of war, much less an entire day to spend as they pleased. With that in mind and a determination to stay upbeat, Alyss made her way to the first thing that caught her eye. "_The World of Mirrors?"_ She arched a brow. "Creative title," she murmured as she stepped in. Sunlight slowly faded away the further she made her way in, the floor and mirrors illuminated by dim overhead lights.

It was clear that no one had made an effort to keep up appearances inside this little maze of dirty glass and shabby drapes, but Alyss kept walking despite it, eyes trailing over the way the mirrors bent and turned, warping her reflection this way and that. "Creepy," she remarked to herself, coming to a stop before a mirror that elongated her neck in a grotesque way that reminded her of a Kaminoan. "Really creepy."

_scriiitch._

The scream of metal against metal made Alyss tense and turn, small hairs on the back of her neck prickling. "...who's there?" Her eyes narrowed as her voice echoed, nothing to see but her distorted reflections.

_scriiitch._

"This isn't funny," she warned, searching for the culprit of the noise. "Blast, I swear-"

_scriiitch._

This time the sound was accompanied by a child's laughter, a lonely echo that had Alyss's skin crawling. _Where's that coming from?_

_scriiitch._

_"Come play with me!"_ The call was a child, followed by the same peal of haunting laughter. Alyss reached for her belt, fingers sliding around the cool hilt of her lightsaber. She had brought it with the promise that she wouldn't use it, though this definitely consitituted the useage of her weapon.

_scriitch._

_"I said,"_ the child's voice was lower and closer now, _"come play with me!"_

Alyss turned. "What-"

Something hard and sharp hit the back of her head, sending her to the ground. Her vision swam and blurred, ears ringing with the sound of a child's laughter and the scrape of metal against metal.

_"Won't you come play with me?"_

The last things that Alyss saw were the lights blinking out one by one, and the sound of shattering glass.


End file.
